Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas and the Technical Working Group (TWG) of the Negros Island Region (NIR) will meet to finalize institutional arrangements for the newly created region on Friday, June 19, in Quezon City.

In the meeting, Roxas will preside over the drafting of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Executive Order 183, creating a separate region for Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

President Aquino has previously signed the E.O. 183 on May 29 to pursue a faster and more efficient delivery of basic government services to Negrenses, as well as to strengthen social and cultural unity between the two provinces.

As DILG Secretary, Roxas will ensure the development of the region by plotting the Roadmap of the NIR, starting from its Institutional Transition this 2015-2016, which includes identifying the locations of regional offices and regional councils, as well as creating a funding strategy.

Roxas is confident that the NIR will spur the economic development of the island as long as all sectors of the community are united and focused on improving the quality of life and livelihood of the residents.

Negrenses strongly believe that development projects like farm-to-market roads, bridges, and other infrastructures will become a priority in the new region, and they will reap more benefits from such initiatives.

The first meeting of the National TWG of the One Negros Island will be attended by Representatives from the Office of the President, Department of Budget and Management (DBM), National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), and representatives from the local government units of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental.